Meet the Ancestors:Stephen Bordley

Stephen Bordley 1710-1764

Stephen Bordley was the eldest son of Thomas Bordley (ca. 1683-1726). He was born on March 30, 1710, in Annapolis.  At the age of 13, Stephen was sent to England to study. He began a law apprenticeship in 1729, returning to Annapolis in 1733. He lived with his sister Elizabeth in the family home built by his father, now called the Bordley-Randall house. Stephen practiced law in Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties. He also taught law to Samuel Chase and William Paca. Stephen was a naval officer, councilman, alderman, and from 1761 to 1762 served as mayor of Annapolis.  Stephen was a member of St Anne’s Episcopal Church and served as a vestryman from 1742 to 1745. In 1763, Stephen suffered a stroke dying in his home on December 6, 1764. He is buried in St Anne’s Cemetery in a family vault with his sister-in-law Margaret Bordley (ca.1735-1773).